Adjustable brush in a suction cleaning tool



April 1, 1952 w. A. HUMPHREY ADJUSTABLE BRUSH IN A SUCTION CLEANING TOOL Filed Sept. 7, 1946 Sm .md F

Warren A. H umplzrqy' Y ATTORNEY Patented Apr. l, 1952 ADJUSTABLE BRUSH IN A SUCTION CLEANING TOOL Warren A. Humphrey, Canton, Ohio, assigner to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application September 7, 1946, Serial No. 695,414

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and novel improvements in a surface-cleaning tool adapted to be used with suction cleaners.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved surface-cleaning tool. Another object is to provide a surface-cleaning tool having a brush which is adjustable to extend below the nozzle mouth inlet and to support the cleaning tool on the surface being cleaned. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specication and drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the cleaning tool, showing the brush in one adjusted position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the brush in another adjusted position;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a bottom View of the cleaning tool with the brush removed.

The cleaning tool comprises a nozzle body I and a brush housing II. The nozzle body includes front and rear surface-contacting lips I2 and I3, end lips Ill-I4, a front wall I5, a rear wall IB, top wall I1, opposite end walls I8I8, and a socket I9 adapted to receive one end of an unshown hose, the opposite end of which is connected to a suction cleaner. The nozzle lips denne an inlet 2t communicating with a suction air passage 2i connected to the outlet of the socket I9.

The brush housing I! is arranged rearwardly of the nozzle inlet 26 and is formed by the rear nozzle wall IS, the top wall I1, a rear wall 22,

and opposite end walls 'i3-23, the marginal edge 24 of the latter being spaced upwardly from the lips dening the nozzle inlet 2t. Disposed in the brush housing II is a brush 25 having a brush back 25 provided with bristles 21. The brush 25 is secured tc spring 28, the opposite ends of which are provided with hooks 29 and 39 which respectively engage shouldered portions 3l and 32 at the opposite ends of the brush back 23, and the spring is attached to the top wall I1 by a pair of rivets 33. The brush 25 is removably inserted in the spring hooks 23 and 3) by inserting the shoulder 32 in the hook 39 and moving the hook 23 by means of a tab 34 to insert the shoulder 3l into the spring hook 29. A pair of spring leaf ngers titi-E5 integral with the spring 28 exerts a downward force on the brush baci: 26, while the spring hooks 25 and @il exert an upward force on the brush back 25 to normally maintain the brush 25 in the retracted position, shown in Figure l, so that the brush back 25 is substantially rigid in the brush housing II and abuts the exposed ends of the rivets 33.

The brush back 26 is provided along its opposite faces with a recess 35 of irregular contour, each having a portion 36 extending through the vertical height of the brush back. an inclined surface 31, and a horizontal surace 38. Slidably mounted in the recess 35 is a substantially U-shaped adjusting member 39 having each of its depending portions 40-40 provided with a horizontal surface 4I and an inclined surface 42, while the top portion is secured by a screw 44 to a slidable member 45. The depending portions 40 of the adjusting member 39 are received in cut-out portions 46 in the spring 28.

rlhe slidable member is elongated and is provided at its opposite ends with uipstanding lugs 41 and 48 and is slidably mounted in a recess 49 disposed between the top wall I1 and the socket I9, and the lugs 41 and 48 are received in complementary recesses 5I and 52, respectively, when the brush has been moved to diiiierent adjusted positions. The depending portions 40 of the adjusting member 39 extend through a slot 53 in the top wall I1, and the slidable member 45 closes the slot 50 in all of its adjusted positions.

As shown in Figure 1, when the brush 25 is in its retracted position, the inclined portions 42- 42 of the adjusting member 39 are spaced from the inclined surfaces 31-31 in the recess 35 and the horizontal surfaces 4 I -4I do not abut or bear against any portion of the brush back 26, so that the spring 28 and spring fingers 60 are the sole means for retaining the brush 25 in its rigid retracted position.

In using the cleaning tool with the brush 25 in its retracted position, as shown in Figure 1, so as to be out of engagement with the surface being cleaned, air is drawn through the nozzle inlet 20, air passageway 2 I, and socket I9 .and is conducted by an unshown dusting tool hose to a suitable source of suction-creating means. The operator moves the nozzle lips over the covering to be cleaned to dislodge the embedded dirt, and thereafter the suction-creating means draws the dirtladen air through the cleaning tool.

When it is desired to vigorously brush a surface, then the slidable member 45 is moved from the position shown in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 2, and during its movement the inclined surfaces 42 slide along the inclined surfaces 31 of the recess 35 until the horizontal surfaces IIIv rest on the horizontal surfaces 38 of the recess 35 to thereby protract the bristles 21 below the surface of the nozzle lips. In this protracted position of the brush, the iiat surfaces 4I of the adjusting member 39 abuts the horizontal surfaces 38 in the recess 35 and the spring 28 exerts an upward force to thereby rigidly adjust the brush in its protracted position. In this adjusted position of the brush, the bristles 21 space the nozzle lips from the surface being cleaned and are the sole support for the cleaning tool; however, the suction air passing through the cleaning tool removes the dirt loosened from the surface being cleaned by the Iaction of the bristles 21.

I'claim:

1. A cleaning tool comprising a body, a suction nozzle in said body, a brush adjustably mounted on said body, means for adjusting said brush relative to said body to diierent positions, said brush adjusting means including a member movable on said body and havingA spaced manuallyoperated means for moving said member relative to said body to adjust said brush to its different operating positions, and spaced recesses in said body each adapted to receive one of said manually operated means when said brush has been moved to one of its adjusted positions with the other of said manually operated means out of its respective recess.

2. In a surface cleaning tool, a body having a suction cleaning nozzle, a surface cleaning brush having a cam surface, resilient means, movably supporting said brush on said body and urging said brush to one adjusted position with respect to said body, adjusting means shaped to receive said resilient means and terminating therebeyond in a cam surface for engagement with said brush cam surface, and means mounting said adjusting means on said body for movement relative to said resilient means to engage said cam surfaces and adjust said brush to another position.

WARREN A. HUMPHREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,348,585 Roseniield Aug. 3, 1920 1,382,548 Robertson June 21, 1921 1,884,044 Martinet Oct. 25, 1932 2,034,196 Martinet Mar. 17, 1936 2,153,457 Fechtenberg Apr. 4, 1939 2,199,643 Martinet May 7, 1940 2,205,877 Dunbar June 25, 1940 2,271,556 Boyle Feb. 3, 1942 2,348,861 Smellie May 16, 1944 2,421,661 Taylor June 3, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 176,906 Switzerland July 16, 1935 217,208 Switzerland Jan. 16, 1942 

